The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the United States Marines - Softcover

"Smith and West deliver a balanced and unblinking account that will certainly become one of the standard texts on the second Gulf War....As a result, this book is a sort of microscope-telescope hybrid, moving seamlessly through many levels: Here is the division commander's view of the fight, the regiment commander's view, the battalion commander's view, the company commander's view--and the corporal's view, slugging it out on the ground at the head of a fire team....The March Up should be required reading for everyone serving in the armed forces--and for anyone exercising policy influence over the institution they serve."--Washington Post Book World

"It is one thing to know about Marines. It is another to know the sting of battle. To tell the true story of combat up close and personal, the authors must be there on the scene with the Marines in action ... That is exactly what the reader gets in The March Up.... An excellent look at Marine combat at its best in the 21st century."--Marine Corps Gazette

"This is the face of war as only those who have fought it can describe it."--Senator John McCain

"This book will stand as the definitive account about the nature of ground combat as we enter the 21st century. A gripping and honest account of war as told by two distinguished veterans."--James Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense and former Director of Central Intelligence

"An important and unflinching chronicle of contemporary warfare. Regardless of one's position on the war in Iraq--on any war--The March Up speaks with authority and legitimacy and cuts to the very bone to reveal the experience of the modern fighting infantryman." --General Anthony C. Zinni, USMC (Ret.), former Commander in Chief, Central Command

Chronicles the actions and efforts of the 1st Marine Division on their twenty-two-day march into Baghdad, interweaving firsthand accounts of strategic plans, failures, and ultimately, victory. Reprint. 40,000 first printing.